Microsoft Rising

For the past decade or more, Microsoft has been the punching bag of the technology industry, delivering strong sales and financial results but only rarely achieving any form of emotional connection with customers or reviewers. This year has been a revolution for the software giant, however, and with recent announcements and leaks centered on next-generation versions of Windows, Windows Phone, Xbox, and Office, Microsoft is suddenly the darling of the tech world.

What the what?

You can see the change everywhere. Apple- and Google-centric tech blogs have suddenly come around, with Gizmodo bizarrely declaring Microsoft to be the “most exciting company in tech, hands down.” And Microsoft’s somnolent fans, usually silent on the company’s apparently fading fortunes, have arisen en masse in the wake of last week’s Microsoft Surface tablet announcement to denounce anyone with the temerity to criticize the near-vaporware device.

To say that Microsoft has rebounded this year doesn’t even begin to describe the amazing turnaround we’re now experiencing, since it's hitting at both the real and the perceived, the latter of which has been a historical problem for Microsoft. Aided perhaps by a lackluster Apple WWDC—where the company again announced barely evolved versions of virtually all of its core products—Microsoft is suddenly riding a wave of excitement and enthusiasm.

It’s breathtaking to watch.

About 10 days ago, an incredible leaked presentation—now known to be very real indeed—gave us a thorough look at Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox. But even before that, the company “won” the annual competition of E3 press conferences against Sony and Nintendo, delivering a solid vision for its current console, now in its seventh year, as an all-in-one entertainment solution for the living room and previewing coming services such as Xbox Music and Xbox SmartGlass, the latter of which ties Xbox experiences to mobile devices of all kinds.

Next up, Microsoft triggered an amazing bit of PR stuntery by getting the entire tech world to speculate for days about a special new mysterious product that ended up being the Microsoft Surface tablet, a decent enough device in its own right but one that has triggered an Apple-like frenzy among Microsoft’s fans despite the fact that we really know very little about it.

Of course, there’s more happening this year. Microsoft will at some point deliver a beta version of its eagerly awaited Office 2013, which should include a wide swath of products and services. And the Windows Server 2012 release was silently finished (for the most part) months ago, so the company is basically just waiting on Windows 8, which will release to manufacturing between July 12 and July 21 to correspond exactly with the Windows 7 schedule from three years prior. No matter how you look at it, this is huge year for Microsoft, one in which all of its major platforms are moving from the past to the future—not evolutionarily but in fairly dramatic ways that will affect hundreds of millions of users fairly quickly.

The most exciting company in tech, hands down? I think the case can be made, yes.

Discuss this Article 32

Yes, Paul, there is a lot happening at Microsoft, but I think you're wrong in thinking that it is mostly excitement about new products. I am fairly confident that a lot of the commotion should be characterized as "what are they smoking in Redmond???"
Very soon, Windows 8 is going to be introduced, and it will be one of Microsoft's biggest and most important launches in years.
So what is Microsoft doing to make sure that the launch is successful? Let's see, is Windows 8 aimed at consumers or enterprises? The trade press pundits seem split, with some claiming consumers, others enterprises, because Windows 8 has misfeatures that will alienate both categories. Consumers will hate that things like DVD playback were gratuitously removed, enterprises will hate the training cost for the Metro UI. (Prediction: Windows 8 will be as popular in enterprises as Vista was).
And as a bonus, Microsoft chose to gratuitously alienate its OEM partners with the Surface vaporware. Seriously, what was the *point* of that, to show that Microsoft is not to be trusted? Done.
Then we have the WP mess. First pretend that the last decade didn't happen and that Microsoft is *new* to the smartphone field. Then pretend that the decidedly mediocre Nokia Lumia 900s are flagship devices and market them as high-end devices with a big "smoked by Windows" campaign. And *two months* after introducing the Lumia 900, turn around and say "You didn't seriously expect us to offer WP8 on those pieces of cr.p, did you?"
Yeah, that is a fine way to win friends and impress people. How many Lumia 900s will Nokia sell between now and whenever WP8 is introduced? How many new Lumia 900 owners will beg AT&T to take them back? Will AT&T be pressured to extend the customary 15-day grace period to 60 days, so that anyone who's bought a Lumia 900 can return it?
I actually like both Windows 8 and WP7.5, but I think Microsoft is behaving remarkably clumsily here.

Looks like Paul got out his thesaurus and searched for "Awesome". Doesn't change the fact that Microsoft is an old lumbering dinosaur, desperately searching for the "next new thing" and, having been reduced to a shadow of its former self, is now grasping at straws and sending forth its minions to do battle. It's all so very sad. You're better than this, Paul, or at least you used to be. Now you're just another pathetic fanboi masquerading as an objective tech writer.

I think that Paul here is missing a key point: The reason that we are seeing an attempted resurgence of Microsoft in the consumer arena is that (aside from Windows OS sales) right now their consumer market position is in shambles. This isn't a strong, confident Microsoft marching off to conquer new unexplored territories. This is a weakened and desperate Microsoft watching with dread as other competitors (e.g., Google and Apple) occupy and build strong positions in areas which are key to Microsoft's future growth. Make no mistake about it: These are desperate and anxious times for Microsoft.
Windows 8 is a "Hail Mary" pass. Surface is a "Hail Mary" pass. Yes, it's interesting watch but remember: Only the losing team attempts "Hail Mary" passes.

A lot of excitement above so many new products, but at the end of the day are these not all just ONE product? With different packaging? Xbox, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and Surface: not just one set of line of codes with some IFs and CASE statements? :-)

I'd feel a lot better about all this hype if these new and exciting products were actually shipping, and blogosphere were offering up glowing reviews.
My biggest fear is that Surface is fundamentally flawed, why else would nobody be allowed to touch it at the unveiling. I have used Windows 8 on the desktop and I like it far less than OS X. The comments on the Building Windows 8 website have been scathing, and in my opinion deservedly so. Non-fayboys will find Windows 8 equally awkward. Windows Phone 8, looks great now, but will be quickly overshadowed once Apple unveils the iPhone 5.
Exciting....ok I'll agree to that. A Sure Thing...heck no.

What Leo Laporte calls "Microsoft apologist, Paul Thurrott" is full hue and cry, without even the guts to post it where responses can be made.
http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/microsoft-surface-exists-matters-143536
It's a weird article, culminating with this, "Theres a lot of speculation that Surface is some kind of trial balloon, while some (myself included) dont think it matters if Surface is ever profitable or otherwise successful. Whatever. Surface shows that Microsoft isnt the classless brute that Steve Jobs claimed, that the company does have a soul and cares about customers. And that it can do so without sacrificing the relationships its made and nurtured over the years."
And you'll look hard to find a single paragraph anywhere with so many internal inconsistencies. Actually, what SJ stated was that Microsoft "has no taste" and that "they make really third rate products". But, that aside, we get Paul saying that Surface is profound, shows that Microsoft is a hardware epicure, but, just to hedge the bets, it doesn't MATTER if Surface succeeds or not! Now, that's confidence, isn't it? We also get the prescient comment that Microsoft's hardware partners won't mind at all being undercut like this! Yes, I'm sure the folks burned in the Plays-For-Sure debacle must have felt the same way.
The blizzard of articles from Paul, all themed with "Microsoft is back, baby!" are real signs of desperation. WANTING it to be true so badly that he's lost sight of the difference between present tense (shipping products) and speculative future tense ("demoed" products that no one was allowed to touch while they were running).
Sad.
To see what really happened at the not-a-demo of Surface, look here:
Hands-Off: Microsoft Surface Tablet Review
http://marketingland.com/hands-off-microsoft-surface-tablet-review-15146

This is beyond delusional and into insanity. The man really does live in his own private universe. In THIS universe:
1. Microsoft "demoed" Surface, without letting any reporter touch it while it was turned on. Literally, a rope line was used to separate the press from the product. Even on stage the "software giant" didn't even demo all the wondrous software that supposedly runs on this thing. Of course, the only thing done right was the name VaporMg, because the whole thing is vaporware.
2. The only thing that was accomplished at the non-demo demo was to p!ss off all the hardware partners that are the supposed backbone of the WinTel ecosystem. That ecosystem is in ecological collapse outside enterprise computer, where the competition is for the cheapest possible box to run Office.
3. In other news, Microsoft cut off every single Windows 7 phone at the knees. No Windows 8 Phone upgrade for you! Yes, even the breathlessly touted "Lumia" won't get an upgrade. But the consolation prize is the release of something called Windows Phone 7.834824598, or something like that.
Yessirree, this is a tech company hitting on all cylinders. We know that's true, at least on Planet Thurrott. However, in the universe where the rest of us live.....not so much.
The denial extends to removing Apple TV from his home, although he's recently touted it as the best TV streaming device available. This removes the last vestige of "tech journalist" and completes the conversion into Microsoft shill.

"The most exciting company in tech, hands down? I think the case can be made, yes."
Let's reexamine what happened last week:
1) Microsoft alienated and angered their entire Windows Phone user base by announcing Windows Phone 8 Phone OS would not run on any existing handsets;
2) Microsoft alienated all hardware partners by delivering some vapourware that journalists and analysts weren't allowed to touch. They gave no specifics, no price points and no solid timeline for general availability;
3) Some document that was two years old got leaked. Everyone already knew MS was working on a Next Gen XBOX.
This qualifies them for the most exciting company in tech? Really, you honestly believe that?

And this is how clueless Paul is. Calling Gizmodo an Apple centric tech site after they were blackballed from Apple Events or insider news for stealing an iPhone is akin to Paul calling himself a mobile tech reporter when he covers just the 1% of the field that Microsoft has.

Paul.
Perhaps you should read the comments section in this:
http://www.ghacks.net/2012/03/13/do-you-love-the-windows-8-consumer-preview-or-hate-it/
Looks like the majority of commenters hate the Metro interface.
Quite a few looking to skip Windows 8 for Windows 9.
Always the same: 'next time Microsoft will get it right'.

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